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The Prime Minister has asserted that the truce deal in Gaza "would not have occurred without President Trump's leadership," yet avoided endorsing the American leader for a Nobel peace prize.

Truce Agreement Hailed as a "Relief to the Globe"

The prime minister commented that the first phase of the agreement would be a "welcome news globally" and noted that the UK had contributed significantly in private discussions with the US and mediators.

Addressing the media on the final day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, Starmer emphasized that the agreement "needs to be put into action in full, without postponement, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all limitations on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Addressed

However, when questioned if the Nobel committee should at this time award Donald Trump the prestigious award, Starmer suggested that more time was required to determine if a longer lasting peace could be attained.

"The priority now is to move forward and execute this ... my focus now is moving this from the stage it's at now ... and ensure the success of this, because that matters to me more than anything else," he stated at a press conference in Mumbai.

Trade and Investment Revealed During India Visit

The Prime Minister has celebrated a series of agreements sealed during his visit to India – his maiden visit there – accompanied by 126 business leaders and cultural leaders. The trip signifies the implementation of the two nations' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has unveiled a slew of investments, from fintech to higher education facilities, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the UK.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister signed a military agreement worth £350 million for British-made missiles, manufactured in the UK region, to be deployed by the Indian army.

"The shared history is deep, the personal ties between our people are truly special," Starmer said as he departed the city. "Building on our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this alliance for our times."

Digital ID System Examined

The Prime Minister has spent time in Mumbai studying the national digital identification program, including meeting principal architects who developed the widespread system used by over a billion individuals for social services, payments, and identification.

The prime minister hinted that the UK was considering expanding the scope of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He proposed that the Britain would eventually look at linking it to financial and payments systems – on a optional basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as home loan and school applications.

"It has been adopted on a voluntary basis [in India] in massive scale, partly because it means that you can retrieve your own money, make payments so much more conveniently than is available with others," he noted.

"The efficiency with which it enables citizens here to utilize facilities, especially banking options, is something that was recognized in our talks recently, and actually a financial technology discussion that we had as well. So we're examining those instances of how digital identification helps people with procedures that sometimes take too long and are overly complex and simplifies them for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the administration had to build public support for the initiatives to the British public, which have plummeted in popularity since Starmer announced them.

"I think now we need to go out and make that case the significant advantages ... And I believe that the more people see the positive outcomes that accompany this ... as has occurred in other countries, citizens say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and consequently I want to get on with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Addressed

Starmer said he had raised a number of difficult topics with the Indian leader regarding human rights and relations with Russia, though he seemed to have made little headway. He acknowledged that he and Prime Minister Modi discussed how India was persisting to purchase oil from Russia, which is facing widespread western sanctions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on resolving this conflict and the various steps will be taken to that end," he said. "And that was a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we did set out the actions that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

The Prime Minister also said he had brought up the case of the UK-based activist the individual, from Scotland, who has been detained in an Indian prison for nearly eight years without undergoing a complete legal process. It is frequently mentioned as one of the worst examples of injustice among UK nationals still held abroad.

However, Starmer did not indicate much advancement had been achieved. "Indeed, we brought up the consular cases," he stated. "We always raise them when we have the opportunity to do so. I must add that the top diplomat is meeting the families in the near future, as well as raising it today."

Future Plans

Starmer is widely expected to take a similar business-oriented visit to the People's Republic of China in the next 12 months as part of a effort to improve relations between the UK and the Asian nation.

This bilateral connection is under the spotlight because of the collapse of a Chinese spying case, reportedly occurring because the UK has been reluctant to provide new proof that China is considered a security risk.

The Prime Minister said the UK was eager to pursue other trading relationships but stated that a commercial agreement with the nation was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a bilateral pact as such, but our stance is to work together where we can, confront where we must, and that's been the ongoing approach of the government in regarding China."